READDI will curate and manage projects led by interdisciplinary teams of virologists, medicinal chemists, and drug development experts from academia and industry, with specific expertise in developing antiviral drugs. Programs for each virus family will be launched for projects spanning target discovery through lead optimization and preclinical testing to advance assets to Phase I testing for safety, dosing, and efficacy. These cross-sector teams will work together throughout the entire process to ensure all stages of drug discovery and development are considered from the start, minimizing false starts and allowing READDI to focus on the most promising avenues for new drug development.
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Though history tells us another pandemic is inevitable, we cannot be certain which virus will next emerge. That is why READDI is focused on discovering and developing small molecule antiviral drugs that work against entire families of viruses with high pandemic potential (i.e. broad spectrum antiviral drugs). Our strategy is to develop drugs that target highly conserved viral factors or cellular proteins that are required for virus replication. Drugs that are effective against multiple viruses within a virus family provide protection from existing viruses that lack treatments of vaccines. These drugs are also highly likely to be effective against the next virus in that family to emerge, providing ‘on the shelf’ protection from future viral pandemics.
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"Collaboration has to be built into the solution. And that's really what READDI is about, is bringing together all the different people with the best expertise in the areas where we need it and focusing them on the single problem of making new antiviral drugs." |
READDI is led by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
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